Day: April 12, 2012

The Decatur High School Close Up students are having a great time in Washington, D.C. Wednesday’s “Capital Hill Day” was a lot of work but the kids enjoyed themselves and learned a great deal. The students took a tour of the Supreme Court, the Capital, met with staff from John Lewis and Saxby Chambliss offices, and had a seminar at the Heritage Foundation. On Thursday, students will tour Mt. Vernon and the Newseum. On Friday, students will lay a wreath at the Korean Memorial (dedicated to Edward R. Ravenel, Class of 1943, Charles Jackson, Class of 945 and Gene S. Blough, Class of 1948. The students will end the trip taking a tour of the White House and Arlington Cemetery.

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Decatur, GA (2012)- Adhering to a 2008 update to federal education regulations, the Georgia Department of Education released the new, four-year public high school graduation rate — 67.4%. The new calculation, known as the adjusted cohort rate, will allow states to uniformly compare graduation rates across the nation.

An 88.40% graduation rate for City Schools of Decatur places the district in the top ten of all Georgia School districts for graduation rate. “Once again, our students and staff are proving that their hard work is paying off,” said Superintendent Dr. Phyllis Edwards. “Our district is continuing to live up to our vision that City Schools of Decatur will be one of the top ten community school districts in the nation.”

The house at 305 Mead Road may look like just another beautiful old Oakhurst home receiving a facelift, but it’s much more than that. It is about to become the first home in Atlanta for L’Arche, a network of intentional, faith-based communities where people with and without developmental disabilities live together. And on June 3-10, 500 representatives from 140 L’Arche communities in 40 nations will converge in Decatur for the L’Arche International General Assembly at Agnes Scott College.

Just prior to the formal assembly, June 1-3, L’Arche is coordinating a Family Weekend, in which international delegates will stay with Atlanta families. L’Arche is now seeking Atlanta—and especially Decatur—families to host two or three delegates in their homes from Friday to Sunday. “We thought it would be a good way for them to gain an understanding of the community and culture of Atlanta,” says Tina Bovermann, the events manager for the International General Assembly.

If you are curious to meet people from all over the world, consider opening your home to these guests during this weekend. According to the organizers, the weekend is “yours to make.” I have signed on to take some guests into my home that weekend, as have several of my neighbors. We will meet them at Decatur Presbyterian on Friday afternoon, then they will participate in our lives and routines with us throughout the weekend until Sunday afternoon when we will help them get to the Agnes Scott campus for the assembly. I’ll probably invite my guests to walk up to the square on Saturday morning for the farmer’s market, for example.

The assembly organizers are also encouraging hosts to take their guests to the Martin Luther King, Jr., Center on Saturday. “It is no accident that we are gathering in Atlanta,” Bovermann says. “It is the home of Martin Luther King.” The last assembly took place in Kolkata, India, inspired by the work of Gandhi and Mother Theresa.